Rohit Sharma - The Lost Test Player?

For a couple of years now, I have been thinking that maybe Rohit Sharma should be given a test spot for a series, even as an opener if need be. I know this is a bad time to bring it up seeing that India now has the services of Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane available. The one thing which is pretty different about Rohit, in my opinion, is that he is much better suited to the longer version of the game rather than the shorter, despite the fact that he is an attacking batsman. India has given him a lot of chances in the ODI format at the international level, and his failures there are definitely a cause for concern. But they should have given him a test series as well. Did India miss a trick there? What do you think?

There are three cricketers who are constantly hated and ridiculed by the Indian public... Jadeja, Ishant and Rohit Sharma (Jadeja less so now after the Australia series). Ive had countless arguments with my idiot friends over Rohit Sharma and have defended him several times saying he should get a chance in Tests. He's been quite poor in ODIs despite repeated opportunities and his shot selection has really let him down on numerous occasions, which is very worrisome. But the fact that he hasn't got a single chance yet to play the format to which he seems suited to is absolutely shocking.
That Yuvraj and Raina played so many tests for India on the basis of their ODI performances, despite repeatedly showing they were inept for the longer version makes me angry beyond words. Maybe Rohit Sharma will prove to be a poor test player too, I have no idea, but he definitely deserves a chance, the sooner the better. And as much as it pains me to say this, its one of the primary reasons I want Sachin to retire

Maybe he should learn to not injure himself minutes before a test match where he was garaunteed a debut.

Damn. Didn't know about this. But seriously, every time I've seen the clown duo of Raina and Yuvraj bat ahead of him in tests, its driven me insane. Now that won't happen as only Rahane and Dhawan will play ahead of him, which is a good thing. Dhawan's stache is a golden relic of these times

Rohit Sharma is a middle-order batsman. There's too much competition for one of those berths. He hasn't been up to the mark, as he's been guilty of throwing away good starts or not even getting a start when he's played plenty of ODIs (and his domestic OD figures are actually very good), and even a slight mistake means he's out of the race. Contrast that with Ravindra Jadeja, who's not talented, but just lucky, and sitting in the right place at the right time. The competition for the place he's got (all-rounder) is minimal, so despite being a slightly-better-than-mediocre batsman and bowler, he's got an easy and assured place in the national side.

So if Rohit Sharma not only scored enough runs but also bowled 30-40 overs an innings, he'd be a Test match regular.

"Talent is nothing without opportunity"
"You're not remembered for aiming at the target, but hitting it"

Rohit Sharma is a middle-order batsman. There's too much competition for one of those berths. He hasn't been up to the mark, as he's been guilty of throwing away good starts or not even getting a start when he's played plenty of ODIs (and his domestic OD figures are actually very good), and even a slight mistake means he's out of the race. Contrast that with Ravindra Jadeja, who's not talented, but just lucky, and sitting in the right place at the right time. The competition for the place he's got (all-rounder) is minimal, so despite being a slightly-better-than-mediocre batsman and bowler, he's got an easy and assured place in the national side.

So if Rohit Sharma not only scored enough runs but also bowled 30-40 overs an innings, he'd be a Test match regular.

Nah, Rohit's domestic ODI stats are not good - 59 innings, 1974 runs, at an average of 37.9. I don't know how you get good from there. Test cricket is where he needs to be.

I have a feeling Rohit would be a bountiful opening batsman in tests. Let Rahane come down the order if he wants to.

Don't see the point of bringing Jadeja into this conversation at all. Rohit is not an all-rounder, and Jadeja has more than proved his bowling credentials in the recent series.

One way is for Rohit to look for a county team ..play well in England and prove to BCCI that he has it in him to perform well in foreign conditions..With India playing a lot away in the immediate future, this is one way he can get a chance..Also Bcci will know that our players look like million dollars in India..outside fuggadaboutit

Nah, Rohit's domestic ODI stats are not good - 59 innings, 1974 runs, at an average of 37.9. I don't know how you get good from there. Test cricket is where he needs to be.

I have a feeling Rohit would be a bountiful opening batsman in tests. Let Rahane come down the order if he wants to.

Don't see the point of bringing Jadeja into this conversation at all. Rohit is not an all-rounder, and Jadeja has more than proved his bowling credentials in the recent series.

Rohit's domestic OD stats are not terrible, and surely he's a much better player than that- I'd back him to convert that average into something over 40. There's no reason why he can't make it as a limited-overs batsman just because he averages less than 40 in a highly suspect domestic OD setup- Gautam Gambhir averaged less than 30 and became one of India's best ODI openers. We're trying to make an ODI batsman out of Tiwary, who has a poor strike rate and no domestic centuries.

But the competition is just too stiff for the position of a middle-order batsman. He has to compete with Kohli, Badrinath, Pujara, Manhas, Tiwary, Raina, and the list goes on.

If he was an all-rounder, whom would he have to compete with? All the best all-rounders are discarded and the selectors have gone a step down by picking Jadeja. Someone with little to no talent, who's just lucky and has the system on his side. He's proven his worth as a bowler on cracked pitches against a young team that's spent virtually no time in India. He isn't much of an all-rounder, but an exactly average batsman working his bowling arm out hard. Rohit Sharma can do just as well if he bowled so many overs- he's equally capable a bowler- his short spells (like one for Deccan Chargers against his current team, Mumbai Indians) have often turned matches around. The idea of bringing in Jadeja is that someone with no talent got in because he bid for a place with no competition, while Rohit has to compete with many other suitors for his place.

All the best all-rounders are discarded and the selectors have gone a step down by picking Jadeja. Someone with little to no talent, who's just lucky and has the system on his side. He's proven his worth as a bowler on cracked pitches against a young team that's spent virtually no time in India. He isn't much of an all-rounder, but an exactly average batsman working his bowling arm out hard. Rohit Sharma can do just as well if he bowled so many overs- he's equally capable a bowler- his short spells (like one for Deccan Chargers against his current team, Mumbai Indians) have often turned matches around. The idea of bringing in Jadeja is that someone with no talent got in because he bid for a place with no competition, while Rohit has to compete with many other suitors for his place.